Very dark garnet. Muted nose with just some black cherry, dust, and red currant. Palate has that classic mix of red cassis, earth, pipe tobacco, and crushed rock. Pleasant finish though not super long.
Wine is very tannic, though has a ton of acidity for a 2018 (I’ve had 1-2 that have been flabby), which keeps the wine relatively fresh. That said, not as much tension as you’d typically see in a young Bordeaux.
This is definitely relatively modern for Haut Bailly, though it’s by no means overripe. Will need 15 years or more for the tannins to settle out and then will be something quite complex and pleasant.
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By far the most packed and stacked Haut-Bailly I have ever had, which explains the pointgasms you are seeing from certain quarters. If you are accustomed to the lithe, ethereal house style that distinguished Haut-Bailly for, oh, a good century or so until recently, tasting this will make you wistful and maybe even a little bit sad. Still, I can't deny how impressive it is in its own way and under any other label I wouldn't have mixed feelings about it. It opens with plump black fruit that feels as dense as tar with a scorched, charcoal-singed element that screams Pessac. With a little bit of time some crunchier red fruit emerges in the treble band. If the old Haut-Baillys were rendered in gentle watercolor strokes, this one is a big wet splotch of Midnight Black oil paint dripping off the canvas. Well, truth be told it is not as sloppy as it may sound from that description but it definitely struggles to find its contours and hew to them. The tannin is a fine powder but the sheer volume it's infused with to remain proportionate to its fruit concentration imposes some physical limitations on its claims to finesse. If the mood strikes for something deep and intense, this can be enjoyed now for the way it expresses its Graves character in poster-sized boldface but if you want to see it mellow out even a little bit I think you will have to sign up for an aging cycle that might not be entirely compatible with many buyers' actuarial tables.
The 2018 UGCB tasting Amsterdam 6/21/2021 (Amsterdam, Amstel Boathouse): In every young vintage of Haut-Bailly you have to pull out the complexity ; more reserved than the other '18 wines; enormous concentration, far more than in les Carmes and Domaine de Chevalier, lots of elegant power combined with complexity.
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Finally the 2018s are arriving and Haut-Bailly is my first taste. This is a typical Haut-Bailly, very elegant and refined, smooth sweet fruit, delicious and easy to drink. Compared to the 2016 not quite as fresh or exciting but pretty close. Decanted 3 hours before tasting.
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The nose is off the charts with its cornucopia of black and red fruits, smoke, wet earth, spice box and Cuban cigar profile. On the palate the wine offers almost unequaled depth of flavor, concentration, richness, silky tannins and wave after wave of perfectly ripe, fresh, pure black and red fruits. The seamless finish seems almost endless as it builds and expands. Haut Bailly is not a flashy wine. It often shows much better with cellaring. Give this at least 10 years before pulling a cork. The wine was made from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. 2018 was produced from some of the lowest yields in the history of the estate at 21 hectoliters per hectare, cutting the production in half. If this is your style of wine, you might want to grab a few bottles.
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Tasted next to the 2010. Glossy dark fruit on the nose, hints of red cherries, tobacco, spices, floral notes, oak. Very aromatic and spicy on the palate. Lovely concentration, ripe tannins, spicy, fresh, long. Really well balanced and elegant. Great! 94-95+
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Barrel sample tasted en primeur at Lord's. At the tannic extreme. Try again in 30 years? There's plenty of fruit potentially to make this a great wine one day.
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Bordeaux 2018 I: A first look at the 2018 vintage at a merchant tasting in Zurich with 11 red wines tasted. It might be quite difficult to judge the wines (I don't have 30 years barrel tasting experience) but some relative conclusions still can be made: 1) the best wines are as soft and elegant as the best 2016s (Figeac, Conseillante, Carmes HB, Rauzan Segla); 2) The aromatic complexity and precision of some wines is very exciting (Calon Segur, Figeac, Carmes HB), 3) There are some wines which cannot mask the high(er) alcohol levels (Pavie Maquin, Calon Segur, Leoville Poyferre). Overall, I still think that 2016 will ultimately be the better vintage thanks to lower alcohol levels and a cooler, purer fruit. On the other hand, I see 2018 a tad above 2015.
TN: Same as in 2016 this wine did not show as soft, elegant and well-integrated as the best wines. In this tasting Figeac, Carmes HB, Rauzan, Conseillante showed another level of luxurious elegance. The Haut Bailly has some rough edges but still is good, fresh and balanced enough, showing sweet red fruit along herbal scents and a tad minerality. Medium precision, medium+ length. Overall for sure a solid effort but not one on my buy list.
I see this wine somewhere in the 91 to 95 point range.
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With a gorgeous, deep ruby hue, the wine pops from the glass with floral, tobacco and a mélange of fresh fruits. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, powerful and refined but what's more important here is the elegance in the mouth, the sweetness in the fruit and the balanced levels of acidity, giving you simultaneous weight, lift, length and purity in a classic, restrained style. The wine was made from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.87. The Grand Vin was produced from 50% of the harvest, which took place from September 17 to October 9. 2018 was produced from some of the lowest yields in the history of the estate at 21 hectoliters per hectare. 96-98 Pts
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10/30/2022 - cebarthes wrote:
A OUBLIER
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11/25/2021 - wineappellation wrote: 88 Points
Dried violet, lavender, smoke and tobacco, savoury. A bit disjointed and lean. Might just need time.
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8/13/2021 - HFLED Likes this wine: 93 Points
2 hour decant, from a 375.
Very dark garnet. Muted nose with just some black cherry, dust, and red currant. Palate has that classic mix of red cassis, earth, pipe tobacco, and crushed rock. Pleasant finish though not super long.
Wine is very tannic, though has a ton of acidity for a 2018 (I’ve had 1-2 that have been flabby), which keeps the wine relatively fresh. That said, not as much tension as you’d typically see in a young Bordeaux.
This is definitely relatively modern for Haut Bailly, though it’s by no means overripe. Will need 15 years or more for the tannins to settle out and then will be something quite complex and pleasant.
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8/4/2021 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
By far the most packed and stacked Haut-Bailly I have ever had, which explains the pointgasms you are seeing from certain quarters. If you are accustomed to the lithe, ethereal house style that distinguished Haut-Bailly for, oh, a good century or so until recently, tasting this will make you wistful and maybe even a little bit sad. Still, I can't deny how impressive it is in its own way and under any other label I wouldn't have mixed feelings about it. It opens with plump black fruit that feels as dense as tar with a scorched, charcoal-singed element that screams Pessac. With a little bit of time some crunchier red fruit emerges in the treble band. If the old Haut-Baillys were rendered in gentle watercolor strokes, this one is a big wet splotch of Midnight Black oil paint dripping off the canvas. Well, truth be told it is not as sloppy as it may sound from that description but it definitely struggles to find its contours and hew to them. The tannin is a fine powder but the sheer volume it's infused with to remain proportionate to its fruit concentration imposes some physical limitations on its claims to finesse. If the mood strikes for something deep and intense, this can be enjoyed now for the way it expresses its Graves character in poster-sized boldface but if you want to see it mellow out even a little bit I think you will have to sign up for an aging cycle that might not be entirely compatible with many buyers' actuarial tables.
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6/21/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Amsterdam UGCB Tasting (Amstel Boathouse, Amsterdam, NL): A generous and ripe style for Haut-Bailly, quite spicy and warm, not the most refined of tannic textures, tight and dry finish.
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6/21/2021 - FransS wrote: 97 Points
The 2018 UGCB tasting Amsterdam 6/21/2021 (Amsterdam, Amstel Boathouse): In every young vintage of Haut-Bailly you have to pull out the complexity ; more reserved than the other '18 wines; enormous concentration, far more than in les Carmes and Domaine de Chevalier, lots of elegant power combined with complexity.
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3/27/2021 - Pianojim wrote: 97 Points
Finally the 2018s are arriving and Haut-Bailly is my first taste. This is a typical Haut-Bailly, very elegant and refined, smooth sweet fruit, delicious and easy to drink. Compared to the 2016 not quite as fresh or exciting but pretty close. Decanted 3 hours before tasting.
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3/9/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
The nose is off the charts with its cornucopia of black and red fruits, smoke, wet earth, spice box and Cuban cigar profile. On the palate the wine offers almost unequaled depth of flavor, concentration, richness, silky tannins and wave after wave of perfectly ripe, fresh, pure black and red fruits. The seamless finish seems almost endless as it builds and expands. Haut Bailly is not a flashy wine. It often shows much better with cellaring. Give this at least 10 years before pulling a cork. The wine was made from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. 2018 was produced from some of the lowest yields in the history of the estate at 21 hectoliters per hectare, cutting the production in half. If this is your style of wine, you might want to grab a few bottles.
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7/3/2019 - rossi.wine wrote: 95 Points
Tasted next to the 2010. Glossy dark fruit on the nose, hints of red cherries, tobacco, spices, floral notes, oak. Very aromatic and spicy on the palate. Lovely concentration, ripe tannins, spicy, fresh, long. Really well balanced and elegant. Great! 94-95+
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6/12/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine:
Barrel sample tasted en primeur at Lord's. At the tannic extreme. Try again in 30 years? There's plenty of fruit potentially to make this a great wine one day.
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6/7/2019 - Macdog Likes this wine:
Tried EP (hence no score). Excellent; could drink now; will buy. Continues HB in the style that started in 08 and best demonstrated in 09.
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5/9/2019 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 2018 I: A first look at the 2018 vintage at a merchant tasting in Zurich with 11 red wines tasted. It might be quite difficult to judge the wines (I don't have 30 years barrel tasting experience) but some relative conclusions still can be made: 1) the best wines are as soft and elegant as the best 2016s (Figeac, Conseillante, Carmes HB, Rauzan Segla); 2) The aromatic complexity and precision of some wines is very exciting (Calon Segur, Figeac, Carmes HB), 3) There are some wines which cannot mask the high(er) alcohol levels (Pavie Maquin, Calon Segur, Leoville Poyferre). Overall, I still think that 2016 will ultimately be the better vintage thanks to lower alcohol levels and a cooler, purer fruit. On the other hand, I see 2018 a tad above 2015.
TN: Same as in 2016 this wine did not show as soft, elegant and well-integrated as the best wines. In this tasting Figeac, Carmes HB, Rauzan, Conseillante showed another level of luxurious elegance. The Haut Bailly has some rough edges but still is good, fresh and balanced enough, showing sweet red fruit along herbal scents and a tad minerality. Medium precision, medium+ length. Overall for sure a solid effort but not one on my buy list.
I see this wine somewhere in the 91 to 95 point range.
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4/19/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
With a gorgeous, deep ruby hue, the wine pops from the glass with floral, tobacco and a mélange of fresh fruits. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, powerful and refined but what's more important here is the elegance in the mouth, the sweetness in the fruit and the balanced levels of acidity, giving you simultaneous weight, lift, length and purity in a classic, restrained style. The wine was made from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.87. The Grand Vin was produced from 50% of the harvest, which took place from September 17 to October 9. 2018 was produced from some of the lowest yields in the history of the estate at 21 hectoliters per hectare. 96-98 Pts
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